THE WALL OF FACES

It was an honor and privilege to announce your name at the Reading of the Names ceremony celebrating the dedication of The Wall on November 9 in Washington, DC. May you rest in eternal peace.

Private First Class Terry Lee Armstrong, Served with the 3rd Platoon, Company A, 2nd Battalion, 8th Infantry Regiment, 2nd Brigade, 4th Infantry Division, United States Army Vietnam.

Do not stand at my grave and weep
I am not there; I do not sleep.
I am a thousand winds that blow,
I am the diamond glints on snow,
I am the sun on ripened grain,
I am the gentle autumn rain.
When you awaken in the morning's hush
I am the swift uplifting rush
Of quiet birds in circled flight.
I am the soft stars that shine at night.
Do not stand at my grave and cry,
I am not there; I did not die.

As long as you are remembered you will never truly die....

Operation Binh Tay-MacArthur was a U.S. Army 4th Infantry Division and 173rd Airborne Brigade military operation in the Central Highlands of South Vietnam conducted between October 12, 1967 and January 31, 1969. The 4th Infantry Division was responsible for the defense of the provincial and district capitals that lay along Highway QL-14, a paved road running north to south through the middle of the Central Highlands. West of the highway lay the Cambodian border where several outlets of the southern Ho Chi Minh Trail fed supplies and replacements for the enemy from several large bases. Throughout Pleiku Province, units from the 4th Infantry Division would set up defensive positions to stem the flow of men and material of the North Vietnamese Army. On the early morning of November 2, 1968, a short-range patrol (SRP) consisting of four men from Third Platoon, A Company, 2nd Battalion (Mechanized), 8th Infantry, were set up in a night defensive position in dense jungle by the side of a trail, approximately four miles southwest of Oasis Air Field. At around 3:00 AM, the patrol heard movement nearby as an Indochinese tiger approached their position. The powerful cat pounced onto the soldier on alert, PFC Terry L. Armstrong, and carried him away. The other members of the patrol reported feeling the tiger brush by them as it lunged at their companion and that Armstrong never made a sound. In shock and disbelief, they began quietly calling Armstrong’s name. Another SRP set up nearby came over to help find the missing man. They radioed their command post which told them to hang tight until daylight. At 6:00 AM, Third Platoon arrived in M113 armored personnel carriers (APC’s). After a short search, they located Armstrong’s remains. They were collected and transported back to the company’s perimeter and later flown to a Graves Registration collection point. [Taken from coffeltdatabase.org, “Operational Report, 4th Infantry Division - Lessons Learned - re: Operation Binh Tay” at ttu.edu, and information provided by David E. Naranjo Sr. (2004)]

Terry Lee Armstrong
Nov. 11, 2019
San Antonio, Texas
"Lest We Forget"